Coming up on this week's news, potential purchases of plug-in solar systems are set to encounter a major setback. IKEA's solar panel installer goes bust, leaving customers high and dry. And the long- aaited launch of amendment four of the wiring rags is marred by a renewed rail over its price tag. Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with Anker Solix, maker of one of the world's most beautiful home storage batteries, the X1. Whether you're listening in the van, on site, or down at the wholesale counter. I'm Joe Robinson and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble. We're being lit by Flex 7 with their lightning fast pre-wired modular lighting connection system that keeps your installation times razor sharp. And this week's challenge word competition is supported by the good people at Brady. If you need a label, they've got a printer and so much more. If you think you've spotted the two words that I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win this exclusive kit branded with Friends of the Show QuickWire and Chump Tools. And while you're there, click the links in the show notes to check out what our sponsors offer. Brits considering buying a plug-in solar system are encountering their first major setback. That's because it emerged that renters and even lease holders may need permission from their landlord to install the kit. This potential spanner in the works for what promised to be a popular piece of renewable technology has been flagged up by the I newspaper. It reveals that even in Germany, where renters have specific legal right to use the equipment, landlords apply onorous and expensive technical conditions to block the installs. The paper says that as it stands, renters and flat owners in the UK need to obtain permission from their landlord or building owner in order to make alterations to their property. Typically, plug-in solar must be securely mounted to a surface, such as a roof or balcony railing. The issue urgently needs to be resolved, say Green Campaigners. That's because plug-in solar kits are about to hit the shops. LIDL and Amazon are among the retailers expected to be stocking them this summer. The photovoltaic sets will cost around £400 and could save around £100 a year on energy. They're designed to be put in gardens and on balconies. You simply plug them into a standard socket outlet. Last month, energy secretary Ed Miliband gave the green light to the tech in response to the war in the Middle East. However, both the IET and the Electrical Contractors Association have raised concerns on both safety grounds and acceptance by the insurance industry. Some even suggest the advent of the technology requires a fifth amendment to the 18th edition of the wiring regulations. But industry observers say it's the issue of landlords that could really see the development founder in the UK like a seahorse in a tidal wave. Meanwhile, another retailer who's expected to stock plug-in solar in its UK stores is facing a barrage of criticism. IKEA is under fire after its authorized solar panel installer in the UK went bust. The winding up of Sully UK operations follows the collapse of its European parent. The Swedish foggger of Flatpack furniture announced the supply and install offered to much fanfare last October. IKEA said at the time that to ensure that installations complied with all the regulations, the renewable kit would be installed by certified and qualified installers. The retailer had partnerships with both Sully and Swedish firm ERA to deliver the service. The latter continues to operate successfully, but many customers of Sully face losing their deposits. These typically run into thousands of pounds. The Guardian newspaper has accused IKEA of washing its hands of the situation. Its consumer affairs champion, Anna Tims, described the retailer's silence over the matter as a disgrace. There was no silence in the trade last week, however. That's because the long- awaited introduction of amendment four of the wiring regs reignited the row over its cost. The IET is asking electricians to stump up 125 quid for the amended document. But many Sparks took to social media to express their continuing anger over what they see as a tax on the trade. The price tag was variously dubbed a ripoff, a scam, and an astronomical sum. One poster pointed out how the Australian and New Zealand wiring rules are free to download. Others said that if you bought one edition, you should get the updates for free rather than having to purchase a whole new document, but the technical changes themselves appear to have been relatively wellreceived. The most contentious edition appears to be in earthing with the major addition of protective neutral bonding or PNB. While similar in appearance to PME or TNCS, PNB differs by requiring electricians to place an earth electrode within 40 m of the installation. The latter is controlled by the DNO. This closer earth reference reduces the risks associated with pen conductor failure. These are often associated with dangerous touch voltages and diverted neutral currents. Commentators were however concerned that the requirement to confirm the earthing arrangement with the DNO wasn't realistic. Overall, amendment 4 reinforces a shift toward greater responsibility, requiring electricians to base decisions on risk, understand system behavior, and clearly justify their work. Our top tip is to get the latest wiring regs with amendment 4 at the doc store where you can not only buy the Tangerine Dream book, but also exclusive tabs that help you to mark up and navigate BS7671. I've put a link to its page in the show notes. In promotion news, a reminder that there's two World Cup tickets on offer in a special competition organised by BG and Knipex. You get to go to a group stage match in Miami. The travel and hotel are all laid on. Simply buy 20 worth of BG products, upload your proof of purchase, and play the BG penalty shootout game. Score a goal to win one of 300 instant prizes. You'll also be automatically entered into the draw for the two hospitality tickets at Miami Gardens. I've put a link to this top competition in the show notes. Brady has developed a barcode scanning app which can consolidate a whole workflow into one place. It seamlessly scans over 46 types of barcodes, including direct part marking. It can also generate 33 barcode types, including GS1. A built-in security check actively looks for malicious QR codes while error correction automatically repairs damaged QR codes to ensure maximum reliability. You can scan and input barcode values directly into a Google sheet without any importing and exporting. Finally, you can connect directly to different Brady printers for extra professionalism. Another great app has been designed to help electricians organize their work, design circuits, and provide estimates. Dubbed Sparky, it's the best one for the trade that we've seen so far. Maybe that's because it was created by electricians for electricians. It simplifies the circuit design process, removing the need to perform complex calculations and look up figures in tables. You simply input the variables and Sparky does the rest. The app also produces a comprehensive report detailing the calcs for each circuit and which tables were used. It ensures that your circuits are designed in accordance with BS7671. You can take pics and record details of your work as you go for easy reference. And with just a few clicks, you can create a report detailing your installation for customers, co-workers, or your competent person scheme. It will also generate EIC's, EICRs, and minor workerts. You can check out Spark at the Elex Show this Thursday and Friday, the 23rd and 24th of April at West Point Ex. Chumpfix will also be at the Elect Show in Exit to unveil the company's latest innovation. I've had a sneak peek at it, but I've been sworn to secrecy for now, so get down there to see it for yourself. If you're not familiar with it, ChumpFix is basically a clever piece of perforated plastic. You push it up through a 25 mil hole, usually the same one for the cable, and then flatten it by pulling the handle. You then screw through the plaster to reach one of its many holes. This secures it nicely to the plaster board. It means you don't have to use wall plugs, and it helps to spread the weight of the light across the ceiling. It also minimizes the risk of plaster board failure caused by drilling near the edges. It comes in two sizes, 12 and 25 cm. The company says it really comes into its own at Second Fix for pendant lights. This can be a tricky task as it really needs you to have lots of hands. However, using the second handle hole of the chump fix, you can suspend the light fitting and do the second fix with two hands for the first time ever. Just grab a cable tie, a short length of conductor, or anything else you can think of. If you've already installed your chump fix, a bent CPC is ideal to feed up and pull it back through the hole. I've put a link in the show notes to some videos that Gary's made about all the things you can do with chumpix. Also exhibiting at the Elex Show is Live Electrical, who are currently marketing a clever double pole copper busbar. The unit's double pole configuration allows for simultaneous connection of both line and neutral terminals. This not only simplifies installation but also improves overall circuit organization and reduces clutter inside consumer units doing away with flying leads from RCBOs. Following the feedback they've received from eFIXX viewers, those perspacious folks at Live are also creating some new devices to fit the innovative busbar. The design supports quick and secure connections helping you to save time while maintaining high safety standards. And the buzz bars can even be extended by means of a clever clipping action and secured with the terminals of an RCBO. Genius. Again, you can check it out at the Elex Show in Extra this week. And if you head over to the live electrical stand and use the key expression, Jeff's got your back. As long as you're one of the first 20 to do so, you'll get your hands on a branded backpack and a thermal flask. Both great bits of kit. That offers available on both days. But if you can't make it down in person and you'd like to check out the double pole busbar in action yourself, then simply pop Jeff's Got Your Back in the comments of this video before midnight on the Wednesday after release. Everyone who does so will go into a random draw to win one of 10 consumer units pre-populated with the busbars and RCBOs, as well as a backpack and flask. We'll announce the winners in next week's show. Another piece of innovative kit we love here at eFIXX is the Viperclip. This is a cable stapler for securing twin and earth and fire resistant cables. And like all the best bits of kit, it's another innovation designed for electricians by electricians. The tool uses pre-loaded clips that are fired into place, avoiding the need for manual hammering. It's intended to speed up the process of fixing cables to surfaces while maintaining consistent spacing and secure fastening. The mechanism is spring powered and reloads quickly, allowing multiple clips to be fitted in succession. Each clip holds the cable firmly without crushing or damaging the insulation. Gary and Rick loved it when they got their mitts on one for a bench test. I've popped a link to the video in the show notes. And don't forget, Schneider has unveiled the 2026 version of its hugely popular score to win promotion. In this exciting new game, installers must beat the keeper from the penalty spot as many times as they can to win points. And what do points mean? Prizes, of course. This year, there are Premier League hospitality tickets up for grabs, as well as signed football shirts. Simply spend a minimum of £250 on Schneider Electric products in one transaction at any participating wholesaler. You'll then be given the opportunity to play a virtual game of skill involving kicking a football into a goal. There'll even be a public leaderboard so you can see how your mates are doing. I'll put a link to the terms and conditions in the show notes. Now, how about this for a bright idea? It's the Paul Russell's lamp of the week. And today, we're bigging up the candle format. Who doesn't love a candle lamp? Nobody. Instead of the traditional gas guzzling 40 W, this LED version needs less than five watts to deliver the same light output. It's got an SCES base and a warm color temperature of 2,700 Kelvin. The lifetime of the lamp is 20,000 hours. That's around 7 years for standard use. Now, it's that great moment where we get to celebrate the sterling work being done by the next generation. Our learner of the week slot is brought to you by excess training with their online electrical courses for beginners and experienced Sparks covering inspection and testing, solar, battery storage, EV charging, and their specialism NVQs and AM2 online prep. And our learner this week is Serhed Akan of New City College in London. Serhed has built a fantastic presence on LinkedIn. He posts brilliant photos of large containment installs including metal trunking, metal and plastic conduit and cable tray. And he celebrates the achievements of his classmates, too. His photos show them enjoying the process and having a great time as they train. This is exactly the kind of positive culture we love to see. All in all, Serhed represents the perfect learner we want to highlight. He's committed, positive, and supportive of others. Congratulations on all you've achieved, sir, and well done on being our learner of the week in association with excess training. If you're looking to break into the industry, we can help. eFIXX has set up a dedicated LinkedIn group for people training in electrical installation. It's aimed at apprentices, full-time learners, and adults training in the evening. Just log on to LinkedIn and search for UK electrician apprenticeships and career support. I'll also put a link in the show notes. If you're an employer looking to offer work experience or an electrical apprenticeship, we can help, too. Just reach out to the team at eFIXX and we'll do our best to connect you with motivated learners in your area. And now to the lighter side of the electrical news. Yes, it's time for a tea break with QuickWire in its range of incredibly rapid electrical connectors. An inspection of a 28-year-old solar panel installation has created a bit of a buzz in the trade. That's because engineers discovered that one of the junction boxes had become home to a wasps nest. Wasps are known to like sheltered, dry, and protected environments, but none of the team says they've seen anything like it. Equally, no one knows how the insects got into and out of the box. Even more surprising, the nest had grown undisturbed for years inside the sealed unit, posing a hidden risk to the systems wiring. So remember people, let's be careful out there. That's the lighter side of the news in our Teareak with QuickWire and their range of incredibly rapid electrical connectors. Click the link in the description to check them out for yourself.Now, just before we get to your favorite bit of the show where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners, we want to thank our premium partners. We couldn't make the news without you. First up, Leadvance. Your vision, their lights. Celebrating 10 years and 100red years of experience. One of our favourite new innovations here at eFIXX, especially now it's in sexy new packaging for rock solid fixings in flimsier materials. Don't just fix it when you can chump fix it. And the best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, the home of EV Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality products is Doncaster Cables. Click the links in the show notes to find out more about these great brands. If you think you know the words that I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments. will take all the correct guesses and select one at random to be the winner of an eFIXX goodie bag prize. Answers submitted after midnight on the Wednesday after release will not be entered into the draw. If you think you know the words I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments. We'll take all the correct guesses and select one at random to be the winner of an eFIXX goodie bag prize. Answers submitted after midnight on the Wednesday after release will not be entered into the draw. Now, let's reveal the winners of last week's challenge word competition as sponsored by Brady. Remember, if you need a label, they've got a printer and so much more. or click the link in the description to view their incredible range. Last week's words were contortions and frankincense, and loads of you got the latter, but no one got contortions. Script writer Ray threw you all off with that made up boomier word that he volen

this week, and let's see if we can do any better with today's episode. This week, we've been lit by Flex 7 with their lightning fast pre-wired modular lighting connection system that keeps your installation times razor sharp. Don't forget to click the links in the show notes to find out more. Thanks for listening to this episode of Electrical News Weekly in association with Anker Solix, the world's number one plug-and-play balcony solar battery storage brand for two consecutive years. Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update. Thanks for listening and until next time, have a great week. Stay safe out there and remember there's no such thing as a torque calibrated arm.